DoT Fines Qantas $100,000

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) issued a $100,000 civil penalty to Australian carrier Qantas, for violating its regulations requiring airlines to inform passengers if they have to pay additional baggage fees.

DoT’s new rule took effect in January, requiring carriers to prominently disclose baggage fees on the first screen that offers a fare for an individual flight itinerary. According to the department, searches of the Qantas website after the effective date found that the airline had failed to disclose additional baggage fees on the first page of all fare quotations.

“Airline passengers deserve to have complete and accurate information about how much their flight will cost, including baggage fees, when they first search for flights,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “DoT will continue to take enforcement action against carriers and ticket agents when they fail to comply with our aviation consumer rules.”